2021-2022 University of Wyoming Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Department of Mechanical Engineering
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2052 Engineering Building, (307) 766-2122
Web site: www.uwyo.edu/mechanical
E-mail: me.info@uwyo.edu
Department Head: Carl P. Frick
Professors:
DENNIS N. COON, B.S. Alfred UniversityNew York; M.S. 1984; Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University 1986; Professor of Mechanical Engineering 1999, 1988.
CARL P. FRICK, B.S. University of Colorado at Boulder 1999; M.S. 2003; Ph.D. 2005; Professor of Mechanical Engineering 2019, 2008; Head of Mechanical Engineering 2015.
DIMITRI J. MAVRIPLIS, B.S. McGill University 1982; M.Eng. 1982; Ph.D. Princeton University 1987; Professor of Mechanical Engineering 2003.
JONATHAN W. NAUGHTON, B.S. Cornell University 1986; Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University 1993; Professor of Mechanical Engineering 2012, 1997.
Associate Professors:
DILPUNEET S. AIDHY, B.E. Punjab Engineering College 2004; Ph.D. University of Florida 2009; Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering 2015.
ERICA L. BELMONT, B.S. Tufts University 2004; M.S. 2008; Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin 2014; Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering 2014.
RAY S. FERTIG III, B.S. University of Wyoming 2001; M.S. 2003; Ph.D. Cornell University 2010; Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering 2017, 2011.
MICHAEL STOELLINGER, M.S. Technical University Munich 2005; Ph.D. University of Wyoming 2010; Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering 2018, 2012.
Assistant Professors:
MAYSAM MOUSAVIRAAD, B.S. Sharif University of Technology 2002; M.S. 2004; Ph.D. University of Iowa 2010; Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering 2017.
XIANG ZHANG, B.S. Northeastern University (China) 2009; M.S. Beihang University (China) 2012; Ph.D. Vanderbilt University 2017; Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering 2019.
Professors Emeriti:
Donald F. Adams, Paul A. Dellenback, Bruce R. Dewey, Andrew Hansen, William R. Lindberg, Kynric M. Pell, Ovid A. Plumb, David E. Walrath, Robert A. Wheasler
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering is the broadest area of study in engineering. In contrast to other engineering disciplines, mechanical engineers are employed in significant percentages in almost all industrial and governmental organizations that employ engineers.
The spectrum of activities in which mechanical engineers are engaged continues to expand. The curriculum has in turn become flexible to allow for the education of mechanical engineering students in many diverse and allied areas, or for graduate school preparation.
The educational objectives of the Department of Mechanical Engineering are as follows:
- Successfully practice the profession of engineering
- Demonstrate career growth (e.g. increasing complexity of job assignment, career promotions, professional registration, patents, publications, and completion of advanced degrees).
- Apply Mechanical Engineering knowledge to find creative solutions to evolving challenges with global, economic, environmental, and societal impacts.
- Successfully serve in a range of leadership and collaborative roles in the profession in the community.
- Exhibit high professional standards and commitment to ethical action.
The undergraduate program includes a foundation in mathematics, science, and engineering sciences. The three key elements of the mechanical engineering undergraduate program include core engineering principles, laboratory experience, and development of communication skills.
The mechanical engineering curriculum affords the student the flexibility to pursue specific professional goals within the discipline. Such an opportunity needs to be carefully considered by each student, so that elective courses are chosen with these goals in mind. During the junior and senior years, the student selects 15 credit hours of technical electives.
Mechanical and Energy Systems Engineering degree candidates must meet the academic requirements of the college and in addition must have an average GPA of 2.000 (C) in Mechanical and/or Energy Systems engineering courses completed at this university. A grade of C or better must be earned in all engineering science (ES) and required mathematics courses.
Mechanical Engineering Success Curriculum
All Undergraduate students in the B.S. Mechanical Engineering and B.S. Energy Systems Engineering programs must successfully complete the Mechanical Engineering Success Curriculum prior to enrolling in any upper-division (3000-level or above) courses taught by the Mechanical Engineering Department. The Mechanical Engineering Success Curriculum promotes successful completion of upper-division coursework by assuring a student that their foundational knowledge and skills are strong in mathematics and engineering fundamentals. To successfully complete the Mechanical Engineering Success Curriculum a student must earn a minimum 3.000 GPA in the following 10 courses: MATH 2200, MATH 2205, MATH 2210, ES 1060, ES 2110, ES 2120, ES 2210, ES 2310, ES 2330, ES 2410. AP/iB courses are excluded from the GPA calculation, but grades transferred from other institutions will be used in evaluating the ME Success Curriculum GPA.
Policy for Transfer Credit Towards Mechanical Engineering (ME) Core Coursework
In general, transfer of coursework towards a Mechanical Engineering degree will follow University of Wyoming policy. A course must be shown to be equivalent to a University of Wyoming course (latitude may be given for Mechanical Engineering electives without a direct University of Wyoming equivalent). However, six courses are considered to be the core of the Mechanical Engineering program, and therefore credit cannot be transferred from another institution. These courses are ME 3010, ME 3020, ME 3040, ME 3170, ME 3360, and ME 3450. Exceptions may be made for courses from approved study abroad programs or in extreme circumstances. Please note that failing a prerequisite course resulting in a delay of graduation does not constitute an extreme circumstance. Any transfer of ME courses requires explicit written approval from the department.
Graduate Study
The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers graduate study leading to the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Faculty in Mechanical Engineering conduct research in the areas of aerodynamics, biomaterials, composite materials, computational material science, computational fluid dynamics, combustion, continuum mechanics, heat transfer, materials reliability, mechanical behavior of materials, nanomechanics of surfaces and interfaces, and wind energy.
Department Specific Admission Requirements
Applicants should possess a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree or equivalent in Mechanical Engineering with a minimum GPA of 3.000 on a 4.000 grade scale or equivalent. Students that do not hold B.S./M.E. degrees may qualify as M.S. candidates by completing, without credit, certain prerequisite courses as specified by the Department. These prerequisites would depend upon the candidate’s background and upon the area in which he/ she plans to specialize.
In order to apply, please submit the following via the University of Wyoming’s online application system (http://www.uwyo.edu/admissions/apply.html): resume, copy of academic transcript, copy of GRE scores, copies of TOFEL (or IELTS) scores for international non-native English speaking applicants, three letters of reference, and a Statement of Purpose indicating the applicants’ technical area of interest, abilities, and objectives in completing a graduate degree in mechanical engineering. If you are applying for the BS/MS program, please chose “QuickStart - Mechanical Engineering BS/MS” as the program (no GRE score and Statement of Purpose are needed for the BS/MS application). Applicants to the joint MBA/MS-ME program should chose the MS degree program for the application. To be considered for Assistantships, applications must be submitted before March 15 for the Fall semester or October 15 for the Spring semester.
A minimum composite score of 294 (MS) or 307 (PhD) on the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the GRE is typically required for full admission to the Mechanical Engineering Department. For international students, a minimum TOEFL score of 577 on the written exam or 90 on the Internet-based test (iBT) TOEFL (or a minimum IELTS score of 6.5). ). If an international applicant wishes to be considered for Graduate Teaching Assistantship funding, the applicant should also submit the results of an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI). Please contact the UW English Language Center (http:// http://www.uwyo.edu/study-iep-esl/grad-ta-support/index.html) if you have questions regarding the English proficiency requirements. Admittance to the graduate program is competitive, and the average applicant that is accepted will likely have well above the minimum qualifications.
Energy Systems Engineering
Energy Systems Engineering is an ABET-accredited undergraduate degree offering by the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The ESE program was designed to train engineers to address one of this country’s foremost challenges: to achieve energy independence and yet meet the growing demand for energy, while at the same time addressing critical environmental concerns. The program is intended to help meet these challenges by preparing students to be:
- technology leaders in energy conversion and environmental protection systems
- capable managers in the energy industry
- versatile overseers of energy development by the governmental sector
- technically-trained and environmentally-sensitive liaisons between the energy industry and the public.
ESE students will be trained in alternative and environmentally-friendly energy conversion systems, as well as more traditional technologies that will continue to play an important role for the foreseeable future.
Although the discipline of mechanical engineering has historically been responsible for the design of energy conversion cycles and equipment, issues outside the conventional realms of engineering are increasingly important to address as new and improved energy conversion systems are implemented. The engineer trained in Energy Systems will be better equipped than traditional mechanical engineers to deal with the environmental, legal, political, economic, and permitting aspects of new energy projects.
The ESE degree has many course work requirements in common with the Mechanical Engineering degree, particularly in the thermal, fluids, and energy conversion sciences. However, the ESE program emphasizes energy conversion aspects of Mechanical Engineering and requires course work from UW’s School of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR), course work in environmental law, and two electives picked from a list of classes that focus attention on energy and the environment. The ENR courses expose students to issues related to permitting such as preparation of environmental impact studies, and related regulations such as the Endangered Species Act. In addition, technical electives allow students to choose more detailed study in personal areas of interest including, for example, courses in environmental engineering, wind engineering, solar engineering, nuclear engineering, and petroleum engineering.
Mechanical and Energy Systems Engineering degree candidates must meet the academic requirements of the college and in addition must have an average GPA of 2.000 (C) in Mechanical and/or Energy Systems engineering courses completed at this university. A grade of C or better must be earned in all engineering science (ES) and required mathematics courses.
Dual ME/ESE Degrees
In the event that a student desires to double major in ME and ESE, University policy requires that 30 credit hours past the first degree are required to earn the second degree, and department policy dictates that 24 of these credit hours must be technical coursework approved by the Department while up to 6 hours can be any student-chosen electives.
ProgramsBachelor of ScienceMaster of ScienceDoctor of Philosophy
The doctor of philosophy degree does not represent a specified amount of work over a definite period of time but rather the attainment of independent and comprehensive scholarship in a particular field. Such scholarship will be manifest in a thorough acquaintance with present knowledge and a demonstrated capacity for research. The fulfilling of the following requirements suggests, therefore, only the minimum task one must undertake to earn the doctor of philosophy degree. No amount of time spent in graduate study or accumulation of credit hours entitles the student to become a candidate for this degree.
The program of study must include a minimum of 72 semester hours of credit at the 4000 level or above from UW or equivalent levels from another approved university. This 72-hour requirement may include graduate credits earned while working toward the master’s degree in the same area, but at least 42 hours (of the 72) must be earned in formal coursework. Additional credits toward the 72-hour requirement may include additional formal course credits, Dissertation Research credits (5980 course number; course number 5960 credits may also be applied), or Internship credits (5990 course numbers). The program of study must be on file in the Office of the Registrar before the preliminary examination can be scheduled.
Other ProgramsCourses
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